Font Bots

Jonathan Yule designed a series of illustrated robots made up of different typefaces

really?

If you lock your dog inside this terrifying washing machine for a harrowing half hour, it will come out clean, dry and sweet-smelling, and most likely trembling with terror. The rather wonderful machine, worthy of Roald Dahl, is called the Dog-O-Matic. Designed by Frenchman Romain Jarry, the dog-wash will be exported across the pond to pet-obsessed Britain where dog owners will supposedly pay £13 ($20) to wash a little rat-like dog, £22 ($34) for a more reasonable canine and a huge £31 ($48) to clean the kind of animal you wouldn’t want to try to force inside. 

PicoCool - Dog-O-Matic Washing Machine is Canine Carwash

Liz Von Hoene

The photographer Liz Von Hoene came and talked at school yesterday. She is an Atlanta area photographer who has had clients anywhere from Target to Neiman Marcus to Dove. This is the bio from her site:

Liz Von Hoene’s style of photography is both sophisticated and inviting, appealing to clients as diverse as Target, W, Italian Elle, and Neiman Marcus. And while the models in her images are beautiful and the settings are striking, the real pizzazz comes from Liz herself. Whether she’s shooting fashion, beauty, or lifestyle, she gives even the most familiar, everyday scene a fantastical twist that transports it from the realm of the ordinary into the extraordinary.

It’s a kind of magical realism, and it flows directly from the photographer’s imagination and intuition. She is smitten, for example, with lighting, both in the studio and on location, and that delight leads her to exciting places photographically. Obvious examples are her designer profiles for Neiman Marcus’s “The Book”, but even subtle-toned images such as her work for Aveda have an arresting crispness. “I love to light,” Liz says. “It is a playground for me.” Unlike many photographers, she does all of her lighting herself. “I never have an assistant do my lighting for me—never. I may have them set the lights up, but then we darken out the set and I move them around and watch how the skin wears the light.”

Liz approaches the research for her shoots with the same intent gusto, assembling an “inspiration packet” both to kindle the imagination of her crew and ensure that everyone has a clear creative goal in mind. “The art director or magazine editor and I usually discuss what we’re going to put in these packets,” Liz explains. “It could be a vintage story from a 1960s Bazaar pulled because I love the movement and body language of the model. Then there may be some images from an Alfred Hitchcock film. Let’s say I loved the way Tippi Hedren’s hair and makeup were in The Birds. Or maybe the inspiration comes from an idea not found in a book or a film. Maybe it’s just from real life—from something I experienced or somewhere I’ve been.”

The shoot itself, of course, is where Liz weaves together all of the various threads of inspiration, with the final thread being the models themselves. “I talk a lot to the model when I’m photographing her. I never expect her to read my mind,” she says. “I will let her know what we’re going for. Maybe it’s super-contrived, unusual body positions. Maybe it’s a spontaneous jump straight up and down, but like a Barbie doll might do it and not like an athlete. If I’m having trouble conveying what I mean with words, then I’m more than happy to demonstrate.” She pauses. “That’s always good for a laugh from the crew!”

Dollar redesign

An organization is hosting a dollar redesign contest. it's mostly just for fun but looks pretty cool. I got this from this site 

REBRAND, REBUILD, REVIVE …

It seems so obvious to us that the ‘only’ realistic way for a swift economic recovery is through a thorough, in-depth, rebranding scheme – starting with the redesign of the iconic US Dollar – it’s the ‘only’ pragmatic way to add some realistic stimulation into our lives! Therefore, you must take part and we really want to see what YOU would do.

“But what’s in it for me?” Whichever submission we like the best will win a special limited edition word-art t-shirt designed by ‘international branding expert’ Richard Smith. Sound good? Then simply submit your redesign ideashere (based on the guidelines below). All entries will be posted. Closing date for submissions is July 4th, 2009.

WHY TAKE PART?

The American Dollar has not truly been redesigned since about the 1930s. The Dollar ReDe$ign Project is your opportunity to theoretically ‘change’ that. Yes, technically there are many limitations and complications when it comes to bank note design, but if the Swiss can do it on a regular basis, why can’t we North Americans too. Besides our great ‘rival’, the Euro, looks so spanky in comparison it seems the only clear way to revive this global recession is to rebrand and redesign. Why not ? It seems to work for everyone else …

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Brief: simply redesign the US Dollar bill in any way you think appropriate andsubmit to us for review. We’ll then post the ones we like online.
Guidelines: clearly this is a hypothetical project so have some fun with it, don’t get bogged down in the rights and wrongs of currency design.
Technical Stuff: all submissions should be jpgs, 72dpi, 600px wide, please.
Where to Submit: email your ideas toDollarsNoSense@ThinkCreateBelieve.com
Rules and Regulations: there are none, other than we have the right to veto any work submitted. All copyright remains the property of those submitting their proposals, ie the ‘author’, and all proposals are submitted at the author’s own risk of being called up by the Feds or being wire tapped. All work must also belong to you, the author.
Closing Date: July 4th, 2009.
Legal: NONE of the work submitted can be used as legal tender. Anyone who tries will be sent to Coventry.
Follow: You can follow the progress of this project on Posterous – also please ReTweet and follow us on Twitter. TY.

Jenny Holzer

Watch a time-lapse video of the installation of the LED sculpture For Chicago (2008) for the Museum's presentation of Jenny Holzer: PROTECT PROTECT.

Whether questioning consumerist impulses, describing torture, or lamenting death and disease, Jenny Holzer's use of language provokes a response in the viewer. While her subversive work often blends in among advertisements in public space, its arresting content violates expectations. Holzer's texts-such as the aphorisms "abuse of power comes as no surprise" and "protect me from what I want"-have appeared on posters and condoms, and as electronic LED signs and projections of xenon light. Holzer's recent use of text ranges from silk-screened paintings of declassified government memoranda detailing prisoner abuse, to poetry and prose in a 65-foot wide wall of light in the lobby of 7 World Trade Center, New York.

(from this site )

Post Secret Commencement Speech

The person who started Post Secret made a commencement speech at St. Mary's College in Maryland and I thought it was pretty cool so I thought I'd post it:

Here is a link to the site 

Twenty years ago, I was sitting among a sea of white folding chairs, just like you are today. I was graduating with my friends from UC Berkeley. I can’t recall who the commencement speaker was that day, or what he or she said. So, in some ways -- even though this is the first commencement address I have delivered -- I feel very little pressure. But in other ways I feel unprepared and undeserving of this great honor you have given me.

Five years ago I started collecting secrets for an art project I call PostSecret. I invited strangers to write their secrets on postcards and mail them to me, anonymously. Today, I still get about 1,000 every week from all over the world and share them with people on the web and in five PostSecret books. 

These secrets can tell a funny story, expose a sexual taboo, describe someone’s most humiliating experience or reveal hidden acts of kindness. Each secret is unique just like a fingerprint. But collectively they remind us how connected we all are with friends, and strangers, and how precious those relationships can be.

From the nearly half-million postcards that have been mailed to me, I brought one example to read to you. This is a postcard that I carry with me every time I travel to talk about PostSecret. Like so many of the secrets, if you truly open yourself up to them at the core there is a kernel of experience or wisdom that we can learn from. This secret reminds me to always treat the people I meet during my frequent travels with the kindness and respect that we all deserve. And once I read you this secret I think you will understand why.

My home address is on the back of the card along with a stamp and a cancelation mark, this postcard was mailed from Seattle Washington. On the front are six RUSH stickers from an airport baggage handler. The secret reads: You called me an idiot so I sent your bags to the wrong destination. WHOOPS, I guess you were right.

In the same spirit as PostSecret, a month ago, I asked each member of your 2009 Class to write down a brief message on a postcard. I didn’t ask for a secret. I asked instead for a response to the following question: What do my classmates, and I, need to hear on Graduation Day?

I did not know what to expect by tapping into your collective wisdom, but I was soon thrilled by the insight, humor, and inspiration I felt in your earnest one-sentence commencement speeches. Here are just a few.

Be wise enough not to be reckless, but brave enough to take great risks.

It’s okay to fail – learn from it and you will succeed.

It’s better to be pissed-off than pissed-on.

These next three all offer solid advice about making the transition from St Mary’s to the real world.

With the increased prevalence of multi-drug resistant bacteria and the increasingly epidemic worldwide outbreak of swine flu, WASH YOUR HANDS . . . RELIGIOUSLY.

In the real world, you must wear shoes.

I know some of us are going to walk off this stage today with no idea about what comes next – embrace it, find something that makes you happy, and follow it wherever it leads.

These last two thoughts mention a part of the St. Mary’s experience that several students wrote about -- The St. Mary’s River. 

Perfection is something that everyone strives for, yet no one achieves; let the memory of the perfect sunrise over The St. Mary’s River drive your inspirations when you doubt your abilities in the future.

Regardless of where the future takes us, we will still all have one commonality; the river and our time together here.

This final inspirational thought came with a little back-story that I would like to include.

So, I thought of this as I was getting breakfast at 8:30 this morning, after pulling an all-nighter. Yes, an all-nighter on the last night before the last day of classes ever in my undergraduate career. And then, parenthetically, I am still not done with my work, by the way; but I wanted to stop and write this . . . 

. . . I might be over the all-nighters in Baltimore Hall, the shower shoes, the no-soap-or-paper-towels-in-the-dispenser, and even the annoying Great Room hours of St. Mary’s College of Maryland; but I will never – EVER be over how each of those circumstances, at this fine institution, allowed me to meet the most fascinating and awesome people I have ever met in my life; I am humbled to call them friends! 

I really hope that person was able to finish up and be here. Are you out there? If you are please stand so we can recognize you. [Enthusiastic Applause] 

About 100 days ago I visited your special campus for the first time. I had a chance to appreciate the surroundings, the woods, The St. Mary’s River. And I got to know students, professors and staff. During that visit, I asked students if they had a favorite secret they had seen on the PostSecret website. One young woman recalled a secret that she had seen last year. It read: My friend believes they will change the world, and I believe them.She pointed out the classmate she was thinking of. I have forgotten the student’s name, but I believe they are here, right now, sitting in a white chair.

My talk is almost over but before I close, I want to confess one of my secrets. It’s not a happy secret and I have never said it out loud before. . .I have lost contact with all of my college friends from Berkeley. 

In all the excitement of this special day, I hope you will not overlook the lasting value of the people you have shared this meaningful journey with. The friends, who decades from now will remember your face and character just as clearly as The St. Mary’s River.

Don’t wait another minute to ask your classmate, professor or campus staff member for that email address, telephone number, or if you are old school like me -- mailing address.

Twenty years from today, you probably won’t remember who your commencement speaker was or what he or she said. But I pray that each of you will never lose the important relationships formed in this extraordinary place with the old friends and new, who believe in you, and surround you, now -- in white folding chairs.

More logos

experimenting with typeface choices for my 'Tinker' logo. Tinker is the name of the hardware store that I invented for class. 

I don't follow these rules

Caroline is coming!!

Caroline will officially be in Atlanta, tonight!!!! I cannot wait. She is coming for the weekend and we are going to be straight up Atlanta tourists. Especially since I haven't really gotten a chance to do the tourist thing. We will most likely go to the World of Coke, the Georgia Aquarium, botanical gardens, Castleberry Hill, Flip Burger Boutique, Flying Biscuit, Little 5-points, the High Museum, Virginia Highlands, and whatever else we can cram into 2 days. I'm planning on taking her to our seminar at school tomorrow night so she can get a little taste of what its like for me here. I'm mostly excited to have a friend from home in town since I don't get to see anyone from back in Texas very often

In other thoughts, this is my new current favorite blog: Awkward Family Photos

my favorite song lyrics of the day:

“What is it that you remember the most?

The weight of the words?

The smiles or the smoke?

Or is it the gentle words that were spoken

The things that were not said at all” –Christopher Jak

Photoshoots

On Sunday, I agreed to be the 'model' for Matheus's 'goggles' photoshoot. After he took nearly 300 pictures of me making different facial expressions (which I am really really bad at ha), we started experimenting with his D-SLR camera using the extended exposure etc. The pictures we got turned out really awesome! We were entertained for hours writing words and drawing in the air using flashlights. I haven't edited the pics at all but I wanted to post some of them here. We were using a 13-15 second exposure everytime and we wrote in the air with a book-lamp and a lighter. 

These first pictures are just us taking funny pictures after doing the shoot

Playing with the lamps.....this is our scary movie poster

We took some shots with the fan blowing my hair around. ha, so funny

just taking random pictures using his remote

Then we started playing with the exposure

      
      

            

      

I think we might try again sometime using colored glowsticks. It was the first time I had really attempted to take pictures like this so it was really fun

Indashio

Well, we had a surprise guest speaker in my cross cultural class last night. My instructor works for Turner Broadcasting and she got a call from a guy looking to start his own tv show. His name is 'Indashio' and he was abolutely an experience to meet and listen to. He is a fashion designer who won the vh1 show Glam God. haha. here is what his web site says about him: 

As one of the youngest designers to have ever graced the New York, Miami, and Los Angeles fashion weeks, 23 year old fashion designer, magazine editor, celebrity stylist and entrepreneur, Indashio exudes a true artist's sensibility mixed with old school New York chutzpa. His in-your-face (yet sincere) attitude does away with formality and replaces it with earnest creativity and bon voyant flair! Since launching his line in 2003, Indashio continues to receive international notoriety from numerous publications including WWD, as well as frequent appearances on MTV and has been seen on such shows as 8th&Ocean, and MADE. Known for incorporating charitable organizations, such as the "Make-A-Wish" foundation, into his fashion shows Indashio has also become known as the "Humanitarian Designer". He has expanded his brand beyond his clothing creations with a fragrance and styling celebrities for magazines. Some of his clients have included Nicky Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Kathy Lee Gifford, Lil' Kim, Vanessa Carlton and Tyra Banks to name a few. Indashio currently resides in NYC, where he gets most of his inspiration.

Here is his website and This is a clip of him on youtube. He was absolutely hilarious and I'd never seen anything like him. He was obviously so passionate about what he does, it's ridiculous. Anyways, we never know what we are going to get in that class. He gave us all free tickets to his fashion show on saturday; I haven't decided if I'm going yet. 

Austin ranked number 1 city for artists and designers (article from Art Bistro)

(from art bistro)

ArtBistro

May 11, 2009

Now more than ever, it’s important to get the best bang for your buck. And there’s no question about it — when it comes to value, not every U.S. city is created equally.

Why chase a great salary if your rent swallows most of it, unemployment is skyrocketing and you spend two hours a day just to get to and from work?

So, which cities offer the most overall value in 2009? 

Only the top 25 have made the list — and some may surprise you! After examining various city lists, weighing the rankings and taking note of our personal opinions, we’ve produced a list of cities that’s sure to offer something for everyone. While all of these communities have a healthy art and design community the emphasis on this list is the cost of living. 

 

Our Criteria

We looked at cities' growth rates, average salaries and costs of living. 

We factored in average commute time — which, according to experts, has a colossal impact on your overall happiness. 

We looked not only at unemployment figures, but also at the rate that unemployment has actually increased since February 2008. 

Thinking of relocating for better job prospects? Need to compare two top contenders? Just curious to see where your city ranks? We’ve got you covered. Read on!

#1. Austin, TX

 

Population: 743,074



Average Salary: $41,330



Cost of Living Rank (in a 1-100 list): 51



Average Commute Time: 21.9 minutes 



Job Growth Rank (in a list of 372 Highest Growth Cities): 6



Unemployment Rate: 6.3

Austin tops our list with robust projected job growth and one of the lowest changes in unemployment rate since the onset of the recession. The city has enjoyed a recent explosion of high-tech entrepreneurism, and its two largest employers — the state government and the University of Texas — are expected to add a couple thousand jobs this year. A “best cities” list veteran, Austin’s our top pick!

I've seen Austin ranked pretty high in regards to being a good city for designers before. Which is great for me because I'd love moving back there sometime in the future. Probably not right away, but Austin is definitely somewhere I'd love to live long term. I never realized I'd miss it this much!

Thoughts on Second Quarter

Last night I had my Cross Cultural Innovations class. That's a pretty vague title that just means a whole lot of things all rolled into one. It's my last class of the week and it pretty much kicks my ass every week no matter what. I leave class feeling like i've thrown my emotions through a blender.

Hold up, let me back up a little. Me and the majority of the other designers in my quarter are in a class together called Cross Cultural Innovations. It's hard to describe, but we have new tasks to accomplish every week and none of them are design assignments and none of them correlate with each other. I tend to compare it to a crazy reality show like the Amazing Race where we are given missions every week that we have one week to accomplish. 'your mission, should you choose to except it...' etc etc. you get the gist. most assignments involve self analysis, getting to know your classmates, and making us think creatively.

It's pretty overwhelming and enormously hard for me most of the time, but it's been an amazing ride. The first week we were put in groups and sent to a 'secret location' in the city of Atlanta and told to find a way to present this location to the class using all 5 senses. we had to figure out why we were sent there, what our mission was, what our roles were as group members and how we would present it. Me and two others were sent to the Castleberry Hill neighborhood. I could go on for awhile about how incredible this little niche of the city is, but i'll save that for another day. We set out on a mission and had to troubleshoot to make our presentation work. frustrating. time consuming. exhausting. but wonderful. eye opening. adventure. unbelievable

week one i was already hooked. our other assignments involved making an object picked randomly from a box resemble or symbolize a partner in the class after spending time and observing them. that week we also had to create a piece of jewelry that symbolized each of us individually. 

Another week we had to create a 'cake' of ambition that's ingredients and presentation represented the characteristics we'd need and the steps we'd have to take to reach a certain job title.

 last week we met at Turner Broadcasting (where our instructor works) and we took an improv class where we played games and acted out skits, not unlike 'whose line is it anyways'. it was crazy and fun and something i'd never tried before. luckily i am around my classmates so much that i didn't even think about being embarrassed. last week we also had to present 30 second pitches that we had prepared.

this week involved admitting and confronting our fears, and much like our other assignments, this one sent me for a loop. We had 2 weeks to decide our fears, find ways to confront them and take steps to overcome them. I ended up coming up with several fears and finding a way to combine them in my presentation. maybe later i will list my discoveries. 

 it's hard to describe all of these assignments in their entireties, but i'm trying to give a little taste.

my point is, this class is completely flipping my mind. we never know what to expect week to week, and every class is a whirlwind of an experience. it is probably the class that causes me the most frustration because i have to wrack my brain to come up with concepts and to execute them. and not just any concepts; concepts that have to do with me personally. concepts i have to throw at my classmates and instructor without any way of knowing how it will be received. i have never had to completely put myself out there for people in a way that i have been forced to this quarter. and in this school in general. 

i've decided self analysis is the hardest thing Ive ever had to do. some of these things i never would have done on my own. who wants to confront their fears and then admit them to their peers?! it is an unreal experience and i've just been riding it along to see where it leads me. every week is a new experience. every week is a new challenge. i've never felt so insufficient, young, naive and inexperienced in my life. but this has forced me to move past it. I'm starting to figure myself out and its been a slow process. mostly im dragged across the line kicking and screaming. Where i felt insufficient, ive started to feel confident. Where I am lacking, I'm learning to fill in the blanks. 

i am forced to extract all of these feelings and discover myself in a way that i've never done before. not just in this class, but in every class. i have never been so challenged and done anything this hard in my entire life.

i work my ass off every day. nothing is easy. our instructors force the best from us and hold us accountable. i present ideas and work to my classmates and instructors every day. i get critiqued like crazy every day. it is impossible to slack off. i've been pushed harder than i thought was possible but i've never been more excited about it. i'm starting to see the big picture and i've only just started. i know i am not the same person i was 6 months ago. 

these instructors have these incredible lives and careers and this week i've really seen the possibilities i have after leaving portfolio center. it is unreal to me to see the different options i will have and the decisions i have to make and the diversity of  directions i can take. all which culminate in a field that i absolutely love. the instructors push us and shove us down and lift us up, and i'm still getting used to failing every single day. failing and being okay with it, and trying even that much harder till its perfect. 

i work with an incredible group of classmates that i learn from on a daily basis. their hard work and creativity gives me motivation and inspiration every time i sit in a class with them. i have never second guessed my level of creativity so much and it scares the shit out of me. it's so terrifying but remarkable all rolled into one.

as a conclusion, this week we were given our final assignment which is to completely brand ourselves as designers. this has a lot of implications and levels that I will most likely get into later. We also left class with free tickets to a fashion show Saturday night. Next week we don't have normal classes, but are instead attending a Braves game together. All courtesy of the free tickets are instructor gave us to a game that is during our class period.  

I am feeling so reassured of what I am doing and it feels fantastic. I'm starting to see why I am here and where I want to go next. I'm starting to understand why I am spending two years here instead of entering the real world. why i am not meant for journalism. why i made the decisions i made. I know I am starting to ramble, but right now I'm loving life and i'm trying to make it last. 

haha

A few logos

I'm creating logos in 2 of my classes and we are still continuing to develop them throughout the quarter. I never appreciated the work that goes behind creating logos until now. It's hard! Anyways, for my InDesign class, we are creating new logos for a non-profit organization of our choice. I am using Locks of Love for all of our assignments and I have started developing a few logos. They are in their beginning stages and will soon have color and words to accompany them. I am also continuing to tweak them some in Illustrator so they still have awhile to go. Just thought i'd share the beginning stages.

Goggles photos

Our second assignment for Intro to Photo is to take a picture somehow interpreting the theme of 'goggles'. We can do whatever we want as long as the photo has some emphasis on the model's eyes. Matheus let me borrow his Canon D-SLR, and it was my first time experimenting with an slr camera. I want one! Anyways, I'm definitely going to have to reshoot but this was a fun first attempt. I had Adam get in our apartment's swimming pool and I took these pics. I will post the new ones when I take them and possibly start to edit. I'm no photographer but I love trying it out.  For some reason it's uploading the super low res files instead of the large ones, so I'll have to figure out the problem.